Department: County Administration
Department Head/Elected Official: David Berry, County Administrator
Regular or Supplemental RCA:
☒ Regular RCA
☐ Supplemental RCA
Type of Request: Contract - Amendment
Project ID (if applicable): 21GEN2477
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
MWDBE Participation (if applicable): N/A
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by the Office of County Administration and the Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity for approval of an amendment to the contract with Catholic Charities in the additional amount of $32,700,000 for the expansion of the Harris County Recovery Assistance Program.
end
Background and Discussion:
On June 29, 2021, Commissioners Court approved the Harris County Recovery Assistance Program administered by Catholic Charities, providing $1,500 in flexible financial assistance to 20,000 low-income households that have experienced economic hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. The original contract with Catholic Charities provided $30M in flexible financial assistance and $2.7M to operate the program, including application processing and payment, call center operation, technology platform, and outreach to vulnerable populations in partnership with nonprofits and other local entities.
Demand for the program has been high, with over 200,000 applications received to date. The need for assistance is great, with applicants still facing unemployment, reduced working hours, childcare shortages, medical expenses, and other COVID-related challenges. Commissioners Court approved the intent to expand the Harris County Recovery Assistance Program on August 10, 2021.
Expected Impact:
The contract amendment will provide an additional $30M in flexible financial assistance, allowing the Harris County Recovery Assistance Program to serve an additional 20,000 households, for a total of 40,000 households to be served. The amendment also includes $2.7M for Catholic Charities to operate the program. Funding for this amendment will be fully provided by the U.S. Dept. of Treasury Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.
Alternative Options: N/A
Alignment with Goal(s):
☐ Justice and Safety
☒ Economic Opportunity
☐ Housing
☐ Public Health
☐ Transportation
☐ Flooding
☐ Environment
☐ Governance and Customer Service
Prior Court Action (if any):
6/29/21 [Item #3], Program Approval and Contract Award
8/10/21 [Item #5], Approval of Intent to Expand Program
Location:
Address (if applicable list below):
☒ Countywide
☐ Precinct 1
☐ Precinct 2
☐ Precinct 3
☐ Precinct 4
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
Flexible Financial Assistance |
FY 21-22 |
Estimates |
|
|
|
|
FY 22 |
Next 3 FYs |
|
Incremental Expenditures |
|
Labor Expenditures |
- |
- |
- |
|
Non-Labor Expenditures |
32700K |
- |
- |
|
Total Incremental Expenditures |
32700K |
- |
- |
|
Funding Sources (General Fund, PIC Fund, Debt or CP, Grants, or Other - Please Specify) |
|
Existing Budget |
Other - ARPA LFRF |
32700K |
- |
- |
|
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Current Budget |
32700K |
- |
- |
|
Additional Budget Requested |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Additional Budget Requested |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Funding Sources |
32700K |
- |
- |
|
Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
|
Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
|
Additional Positions Requested |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
Anticipated Implementation Date: September 14, 2021
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note:
☐ Not an emergency, disaster recovery, or COVID-19 related item
☐ Emergency Item
☒ COVID-19 related Item
☐ Disaster Recovery related Item
Contact(s) name, title, department:
Leah Barton, Managing Director, Office of County Administration
Pamela Chan, Executive Director, Economic Equity and Opportunity
Attachments (if applicable):
Contract amendment to follow